How sweat glands could help heal skin injuries

Washington, Oct. 24 (ANI): A team of researchers have determined that under certain conditions, the sweat gland stem cells could heal skin wounds.

They have claimed that the glands can also help regenerate all layers of the epidermis.

USC faculty member Krzysztof Kobielak and his team used a system to make all of the sweat gland cells in a mouse easy to spot: labeling them with green fluorescent protein (GFP), which is visible under ultraviolet light.

Over time, the GFP became dimmer as it was diluted among dividing sweat gland cells. After four weeks, the only cells that remained fluorescent were the ones that did not divide or divided very slowly - a known property among stem cells of certain tissues, including the hair follicle and cornea.